Christmas

Christmas
Christmas decorations on display.
Also called	Christ's Mass Nativity Noel Feast of the Nativity
Observed by	Christians Many non-Christians
Type	Christian, cultural
Significance	Traditional birthday of Jesus
Date	December 25 January 6 (in Armenia) January 7 (in EasternOrthodox and Catholic churches)
Observances	Gift giving, church services, family and other social gatherings, symbolic decorating
Related to	Annunciation, Advent,Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord

 Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday observed generally on December originally the date of an ancient pagan winter festival, and still widely celebrated by non-Christians, for Christians, the holiday commemorates the birth of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The date is not known to be the actual birthdayof Jesus, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived, the date of the winter solstice on the ancient Roman calendar, or one of various ancient winter festivals. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.

Although nominally a Christian holiday, Christmas is also widely celebrated by many non-Christians, and many of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; includingChristmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, several similar mythological figures, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and Santa Claus among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.

Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

Etymology

The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's Mass". It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038. "Cristes" is from Greek Christos and "mæsse" is from Latin missa (the holy mass). In Greek, the letter Χ (chi), is the first ...

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Christmas worldwide

The Christmas season is celebrated in different ways around the world, varying by country and region.,

Christmas in Africa,

Christmas in Nigeria,

Christmas Day is a public holiday which is celebrated mainly in the southern and eastern parts of Nigeria. Nigerians have special traditions they follow to celebrate Christmas. Almost everyone goes to church on Christmas Day. Weeks before the day, people buy lots of hens, turkeys, goats and cows. Children hover around the beasts, taunting, and mostly gawking at them. There are feverish preparations for travel, holidays, and exchange of gifts, carolling and all manner of celebrations.

On Christmas Eve, traditional meals are prepared. In Yoruba, such meals usually include Iyan, (pounded yam) eba or amala, served with peppery...

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Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth
20th-century stained glass work of Jesus at St. John the Baptist's Church in Ashfield,Australia.
Born	c. 5 BC/BCE Bethlehem, Judea, Roman Empire(traditional); Nazareth, Galilee (modern critical scholarship)
Died	c. 30 AD/CE (aged 33-35) Calvary, Judea, Roman Empire (according to the New Testament, he rose on the third day after his death.)
Cause of death	Crucifixion
Resting place	Traditionally and temporarily, a garden tomb in Jerusalem
Nationality	Israelite
Ethnicity	Jewish
Home town	Nazareth, Galilee, Roman Empire
Parents	Father: (Christian view) God through virginal conception; (Islamic view) virginal conception;Mother: Mary; Adoptive father: Joseph

Jesus of Nazareth (c. 5 BC/BCE – c. 30 AD/CE),commonly known as Jesus Christ or simply Jesus, is the central figure of Christianity. Christians view him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament and as the Son of God,who provided salvation and reconciliation with God to humankind by dying for their sins, then rising from the dead.

The principal sources of information regarding Jesus' life and teachings are the four canonical gospels, especially the Synoptic Gospels, though some scholars believe apocryphal texts such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel according to the Hebrews are also relevant.Most critical scholars in biblical studies believe that other parts of the New Testament are also useful for reconstructing Jesus' life,agreeing that Jesus was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer, that he was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire.

Critical Biblical scholars and historians have offered competing descriptions of Jesus as a self-described messiah, as the leader of an apocalyptic movement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement. Most contemporary scholars of the Historical Jesus consider him to have been an independent, charismatic founder of a Jewish restoration movement, anticipating an imminent apocalypse. Other prominent scholars, however, contend that Jesus' "Kingdom of God" meant radical personal and social transformation instead of a future apocalypse.

Christians traditionally believe that Jesus was born of a virgin,:529-532 performed miracles,:358-359 founded the Church, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven,:616-620 from which he will return. Most Christian scholars today present Jesus as the awaited Messiah and as God, arguing that he fulfilled many Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. The majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, of the divine Trinity. A few Christian groups, however, reject Trinitarianism, wholly or partly, believing it to be non-scriptural.

Judaism rejects assertions that Jesus was the awaited Messiah, arguing that he did not fulfill the Messianic prophecies in the Tanakh. In Islam, Jesus (Arabic: عيسى‎, commonly transliterated as Isa) is considered one of God's important prophets, a bringer of scripture, and the product of a virgin birth; but did not experience a crucifixion.Islam and the Baha'i Faith use the title "Messiah" for Jesus, but do not teach that he was God incarnate.

Etymology

"Jesus" (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) is a transliteration, occurring in a number of languages and based on the Latin Iesus, of the Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs), itself a Hellenisation of the Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yĕhōšuă‘, Joshua) or Hebrew-Aramaic יֵשׁוּעַ (Yēšûă‘), meaning "Yahweh delivers (or rescues)"."Christ" (pronounced /ˈkraɪst/) is a title derived from the Greek...

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